With Google introducing their new Google Home last week the whole subject of the home base station is back in the news. A subject that I find perplexing.
My Apple Watch has taken over 90% of my texting, 70% of my note taking, and 20% of my phone calls. I keep my e-mail inbox clean with it and use it everywhere to control my music. My Apple Watch gets used so much that I sometimes instinctively reach for the crown on my iPhone 6s Plus when I want to scroll down…until I disappointedly realize there isn’t one. So I fail to see the appeal of a “home base” type product like the Echo. I’m not saying it’s a dumb idea, just an inferior one. It seems backwards to me that anyone would prefer a stationary box that can’t be where you are.
Through the last decade we’ve seen technology progress through the following:
1. Desktop – The PC
2. Portable – The Laptop
3. Pocketable – The smartphone
4. Wearable – Watch, band, or Augmented Reality
Something like the Amazon Echo strikes me as going back to square one. It’s regressing back to the days of a big piece of hardware sitting on your countertop. The laptop killed the desktop because people didn’t want their hardware confined to one room. Smartphones are taking over from laptops because people don’t want to be confined to their house. The thought of buying a base station like the Amazon Echo seems like buying a horse to get to work. We’ve progressed beyond that.
It makes sense that Amazon would employ the base station form factor because they don’t have any other venue into your house. People aren’t using Amazon phones or wearing Amazon watches. It even makes sense for Google to do a home base too. Android Wear for the most part has been rejected by their customers. Even their largest hardware partner, Samsung, has rejected Android on their smart watch in favor of their own operating system Tizen.
But Apple is sitting in a vastly different position. The Apple Watch is off to a great start with well over ten million of them sold in its first year. And those who don’t have an Apple Watch, want one. I’m still getting questions on a weekly basis from people lusting after my watch. Apple doesn’t need to resort to the horse and buggy.
I can’t even believe that there would be a discussion on preferring a base station over a wearable. Which device can go with you from room to room? Which device can accompany you as you go out for a run? Which device will show you your texts in the shower? It even beats the smartphone in a lot of areas since you don’t have to pull it out of your pocket. Until someone invents Tinker Bell flying by your head, I can’t think of a more convenient form factor.
Now, I could understand someone making the argument that what they like about the Amazon Echo is the voice interaction compared to Siri. But that depends on what you want from a device. Each device can do certain things that the other can’t. There are probably some people for whom the Amazon Echo is the only device that can do what they need. The Echo is better for purchasing things through Amazon. Imagine that. And a DSLR camera is better at taking photos than my iPhone, but I’m not about to say that the DSLR is better than my iPhone.
The Apple Watch delay issue is valid, but it depends on what you’re doing. Here’s a couple helpful tips for those who struggle with their Apple Watch delay. You just need to raise your wrist and say "Hey Siri..." once the screen is lit. Too many people make the mistake of having to see feedback on the screen so they think of the watch as slow. However, I raise my wrist and bark out commands like “Hey, Siri text my wife I’ll be home in about 20 minutes” Then I lower my wrist and go back to what ever I’m doing. You don’t have to wait until you see your text on the watch. Same for adding something to a to-do list. Just raise your wrist and say “Hey Siri, add rake the leaves to my To Do list.” Then lower your wrist. No fuss, no muss. Also, my watch seems more responsive when I’m out of the house if my iPhone WiFi is turned off. I think the phone tries to connect to a Wifi network first which slows down the watch. If the WiFi is not on, that step is eliminated.
When comparing the Apple Watch to the Amazon Echo, it boils down to the old cliché “The best _____ is the one that’s with you”. That expensive DSLR camera isn’t going to do you any good when you’re pulling in to your driveway and see your kids doing a pyramid in front of the sunset. And that base station may as well be across state lines when you’re in the basement and need a little help.
Through the last decade we’ve seen technology progress through the following:
1. Desktop – The PC
2. Portable – The Laptop
3. Pocketable – The smartphone
4. Wearable – Watch, band, or Augmented Reality
Something like the Amazon Echo strikes me as going back to square one. It’s regressing back to the days of a big piece of hardware sitting on your countertop. The laptop killed the desktop because people didn’t want their hardware confined to one room. Smartphones are taking over from laptops because people don’t want to be confined to their house. The thought of buying a base station like the Amazon Echo seems like buying a horse to get to work. We’ve progressed beyond that.
It makes sense that Amazon would employ the base station form factor because they don’t have any other venue into your house. People aren’t using Amazon phones or wearing Amazon watches. It even makes sense for Google to do a home base too. Android Wear for the most part has been rejected by their customers. Even their largest hardware partner, Samsung, has rejected Android on their smart watch in favor of their own operating system Tizen.
But Apple is sitting in a vastly different position. The Apple Watch is off to a great start with well over ten million of them sold in its first year. And those who don’t have an Apple Watch, want one. I’m still getting questions on a weekly basis from people lusting after my watch. Apple doesn’t need to resort to the horse and buggy.
I can’t even believe that there would be a discussion on preferring a base station over a wearable. Which device can go with you from room to room? Which device can accompany you as you go out for a run? Which device will show you your texts in the shower? It even beats the smartphone in a lot of areas since you don’t have to pull it out of your pocket. Until someone invents Tinker Bell flying by your head, I can’t think of a more convenient form factor.
Now, I could understand someone making the argument that what they like about the Amazon Echo is the voice interaction compared to Siri. But that depends on what you want from a device. Each device can do certain things that the other can’t. There are probably some people for whom the Amazon Echo is the only device that can do what they need. The Echo is better for purchasing things through Amazon. Imagine that. And a DSLR camera is better at taking photos than my iPhone, but I’m not about to say that the DSLR is better than my iPhone.
The Apple Watch delay issue is valid, but it depends on what you’re doing. Here’s a couple helpful tips for those who struggle with their Apple Watch delay. You just need to raise your wrist and say "Hey Siri..." once the screen is lit. Too many people make the mistake of having to see feedback on the screen so they think of the watch as slow. However, I raise my wrist and bark out commands like “Hey, Siri text my wife I’ll be home in about 20 minutes” Then I lower my wrist and go back to what ever I’m doing. You don’t have to wait until you see your text on the watch. Same for adding something to a to-do list. Just raise your wrist and say “Hey Siri, add rake the leaves to my To Do list.” Then lower your wrist. No fuss, no muss. Also, my watch seems more responsive when I’m out of the house if my iPhone WiFi is turned off. I think the phone tries to connect to a Wifi network first which slows down the watch. If the WiFi is not on, that step is eliminated.
When comparing the Apple Watch to the Amazon Echo, it boils down to the old cliché “The best _____ is the one that’s with you”. That expensive DSLR camera isn’t going to do you any good when you’re pulling in to your driveway and see your kids doing a pyramid in front of the sunset. And that base station may as well be across state lines when you’re in the basement and need a little help.
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